OSU-CHS PA program granted accreditation by ARC-PA

Monday, January 5, 2026

Media Contact: Kayley Spielbusch | Digital Communications Specialist | 918-561-5759 | kspielb@okstate.edu

The OSU Center for Health Sciences Physician Assistant program has been granted Accreditation-Continued status for another 10 years by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA).

The physician assistant program launched in 2021, but the accreditation process began in June 2018 when OSU-CHS first applied to be an accredited program. The process included three written applications and corresponding site visits by ARC-PA. 

This continued status is granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA standards. Amy Harrison, director of the physician assistant program, acknowledged the time and effort demonstrated by faculty, staff and students throughout the process. 

“Such accomplishments were achieved by collaborating with our fellow faculty and staff in other departments and by leaning on our mentors across campus and in physician assistant education,” Harrison said. 

The continued status granted remains in effect as long as standards continue to be met. The approximate date for the program’s next validation review is October 2035. 

Harrison said the accreditation is a formal recognition of the program. 

“The Accreditation-Continued status signifies we are officially an established program. We have been successful in launching it, and we have the metrics to prove it,” she said. 

Since welcoming its first inaugural class of 26 students, the program has steadily grown and evolved, graduating three cohorts with a combined total of 76 students. 

This year marked a milestone as the program awarded five PA students with scholarships for the very first time. 

Additionally, the program’s first two cohorts boast a 100% pass rate for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE). The complete data for the class of 2025 is still pending, but it already sits at a 95% pass rate. 

Harrison said the PANCE pass rate is a testament to the quality of education provided by the faculty at OSU-CHS.  

Many of the program’s alumni have remained in Oklahoma to practice, fulfilling its mission of enhancing competent and compassionate health care in rural and underserved Oklahoma. 

Harrison said she is proud the entire program and what its students have achieved, and she looks forward to the program’s future.  

“We have been given the opportunity to continue educating PA students," Harrison said. "We will continue to strive for excellence by monitoring performance outcomes and operations, and ensure our students receive a top-notch education.”